Cranky With Crank Windows? Pella Solves the Problem!

Greetings and Happy New Year readers! Welcome to 2021...we have high (or desperate) hopes for the new year. And in the spirit of new, let's start 2021 by looking at a new product!

Over the years when I have been working on ground-up builds or whole-house remodels, it's common for homeowners to choose elements and finishes that are the opposite of what they have lived with. They know what did not work in their previous home and they want a product or finish to behave better than whatever they might have suffered with previously. But I have seen people get stuck when they get to windows. Not every home can have sash windows and if a slider is not desired, often a casement window is one the few options remaining. However, the big complaint about a casement window is the big clunky crank handle that sticks out. Not only can it be unsightly but the crank handle can be difficult to use.

But window manufacturer Pella has engineered a solution to the crank problem! This new window is called the Easy Slide Operator. The easy-to-use operator is a button installed inside the jamb and slides up to open and down to close. It couldn't easier. And the new design satisfies homeowners wanting something easy to use, and satisfies designers wanting something sleeker and more modern.

The slide button was designed with a comfort grip and the entire mechanism was tested for 20,000 open and close cycles, which exceeds the industry standard of 10,000. This is equivalent to opening and closing a window once a day for more than 54 years, says the company. The new operator can also withstand extreme weather conditions. These seem ideal in so many ways!

Happy designing and Happy New Year!

Focal Point: A Key To Successful Design

Every successful room needs a focal point to help center and ground the space. Building a room around a focal point or feature lends an air of balance, variety, interest...it brings to a room that extra something special.

Some rooms have architectural features that are clear focal points like fireplaces.

If a room does not have a ready-made focal point, often it will have a "feature" wall. This is usually the wall that your eye naturally falls to when you enter the space. Bedrooms often have a long(er) blank wall that seems a perfect spot for the bed. This is more often than not the feature wall. Your focal point can be a luxurious padded wall that acts as a headboard, below...

...or a full wall of drapery to soften the room...

...or take the idea of fabric on the wall and allow it to become a canopy.

A grand piece of statement art above the bed can create a wonderful focal point, bringing in extra layers of color and texture.

Or turn the piece of art into a wall mural for extra impact.

Many times a space does not have a focal point in the room...but outside of it. Windows can be natural focal points as well, drawing the eye out to a view beyond. Arrange furniture and furnishings in the room to take advantage of this!

And finally, homes and especially apartments often lack any kind of focal point, whether it is an architectural feature or a window. In these cases, use art to create a focal point as we discussed in bedrooms above. Jay Jeffers used an exquisite Asian image to draw attention to a wall...

...while interior designer Joshua Greene used a gorgeous, modern, abstract painting to anchor an arrangement in his living room.

Happy designing!

Ten Basic Drapery Pleats

There's nothing like custom drapery to finish a space, to soften the bare hard edges of window casings, and to add extra color, pattern, and texture to a room. But there are so many ways to finish draperies, and so many options to consider. Of course some of these decisions will be driven by your individual style preferences and what kind of look we are trying to create. Below are ten basic ways to finish the top of a drapery panel; there are even more esoteric flourishes and variations on these ten, but for now, they will get us started.

1) Pinch Pleat
I think this is probably the one most all of us are familiar with. The classic pinch pleat is just that: the fabric is pinched together a few inches below the top and stitched together so the fabric falls in waves from each pinch. This style can come in two finger pleats (first image), classic three finger pleats (second image), all the way up to five finger pleats.

2) Euro Pinch Pleat
This style is also sometimes referred to as Parisian or French Pleats. Instead of the pinch being stitched a few inches down, it is stitched at the top. The result is similar to a classic Pinch Pleat but the waves fall from the very top. As you can see, there is also the option for two, three, or more pleats.

3) Pencil Pleat
Instead of fingers like in the previous pleat styles, these panels have continuous pleats all along the top of the panel.

4) Inverted Pleat
Imagine pleating a piece of fabric but facing out the reverse side. This creates a nice, structured, almost architectural drapery panel.

5) Goblet Pleat
This pleat style is so named because of its rsemblance to a drinking goblet. The rounded shape is achieved by inserting cardboard or tissue paper into the hollow for the goblet to keep its shape.

6) Ripplefold
Although the second pleat on this list is called the Euro Pinch Pleat, the Ripplefold is by far the more European styled drapery. Its clean lines are elegant, modern but timeless, and can go with any type of interior. It is quickly becoming the choice here in the States. Ripplefold panels installed on a hidden or flush track at the ceiling line are truly lovely (it makes a lower ceiling look taller) and I have done several sets for clients.

7) Grommet
This extremely casual style is rather rustic and useful in family rooms, game rooms, cabins or boat houses.

8) Rod Pocket
This style can be found on off-the-shelf drapery panels at retail stores and tends to look messy. Because the top of the panel is not truly finished, the fabric unfortunately does not hang uniformly.

9) Tab Top
Again, a very casual style good for breakfast rooms, garden rooms, or outdoor loges. The inherent trouble with a tab top though is the difficulty in pulling the panels open or closed since the fabric tends not to slide freely on the rod.

10) Tie Top
Possibly the most casual style of all, a tie top can look good in spaces that are emulating a kind of Bohemian/Parisian cafe look but just like a tab top, the panels do not slide freely.

Like I said at the start of this post, there are variations on what we see here, but these basic ten are used most in drapery fabrication.

If you have some bare windows or want a new look for your home, let's create some gorgeous custom window treatments made especially for you.

Happy designing!

Exotic Delia Shades

Hot on the heels of last week's post about the differences between shutters, blinds, and shades, I present to you the wonderful company Delia Shades. Founded by Delia Helig in 2006, her eponymous Manhattan-based company creates shades in varying degrees of light filtering material (Delia shades can filter up to 95% of UV radiation). They are made of environmentally friendly, Greenguard-certified fabric that is lead-free, flame-resistant, bacteria- and fungus-resistant, and yet able to be cleaned with a gentle detergent solution. And as you can see, they come in an array of patterns ranging from Moorish patterns to Indian Jalli screens to African designs to Japanese Katagami. Custom client designs can also be manufactured! Candice Olson used the Latticework pattern to great effect in the first room below.

These designs make a marvelous base for a window treatment which should still include fabric drapes to soften the window casing and also add another opportunity to layer texture and color into the room.

Delia Shades:
http://www.deliashades.com/

If you have windows you don't know what to do with, give me a call. Perhaps we can come up with some amazing, unique window treatments created especially for you.
Happy designing!

Shutters, Blinds, Shades: What's The Difference?

The world of window coverings is enormous. I know, it may seem silly to the lay person ("Oh come on Jeff, a world of window coverings?") but there are almost as many different ways to dress a window as there are windows. And consequently there are many different names and terms that can get confused or used interchangeably.

Let's take a look at three common window coverings that are often lumped together--shutters, blinds, and shades--and discover what they are, and how they differ.

SHUTTERS
Shutters are generally louvered coverings for a window or door. They can be fixed or able to open up, away from the window or door.

Often one will hear shutters called Plantation shutters since they were used extensively in Colonial islands like Jamaica. They are quite practical in tropical areas since they provide shade from glaring sun but the louvers can be tilted, usually on a central rod, to allow air to circulate. in interiors, they can signal an exotic, lush design scheme.

But the problem with shutters--and a complaint I hear most from clients who may have inherited shutters as window coverings from a previous owner--is that they can be overwhelming and make a space feel gloomy. When used on a large expanse, they tend to feel heavy, clunky...

In this application, it is simply a missed opportunity to layer window coverings which can introduce more color and texture into the space (we will see examples of this later in the post). And unlike most shades, blinds, or even draperies, shutters are fixed to the entire window. They cannot be stacked back or moved off the glass to allow more light or view. Whether they are built to sit inside the casing, or must be boxed and mounted outside the casing, they are bulky and cumbersome to open. Honestly, I have only ever had clients remove shutters, not install them, not only for the aforementioned reasons, but because the look is now quite dated.

BLINDS
Blinds offer a bit more flexibility. A blind is a series of slats made of metal, wood, or a composite material. They can be pulled up tight against the top of the casing, allowing for a fairly unimpeded view and like shutters, the slats can also be tilted to control light. It might just be me, but blinds make me flash on classic noir films from the 1930s and 40s.

And blinds can still have a cool, urban feeling. They play well in city lofts...

...but wood or composite versions can look nice anywhere.

An optional decorative feature on blinds is the addition of fabric "tape" which can come in any color or pattern.

The look can have a rich, Old World feel.

SHADES
A shade is generally a solid material that raises and lowers in front of the window. The typical shade most of us grew up with is the spring roller shade, which is a tube at the top of the casing on which the material rolls when open. Because of this, it is preferable for the roller mechanism to be hidden behind a fascia of some kind.

Now shades come with a top down/bottom up feature that allows for more precise control, not only for light but for privacy as well. As you can see in the image below, this privacy control is very useful in a bathroom!

Bamboo shades are perfect for introducing additional color and texture, and a warm, organic feel into a space. They are marvelous when layered under fabric drapes. This layering gives rooms a more finished look since the fabric drapery offers a softening element for the space.

And finally, a very popular variety of shade is the soft Roman shade. This is a flat piece of fabric or material (bamboo can be used as well) which pleats up into itself when raised. The advantage to this shade is that it can act like a drapery (coming in ANY choice of fabric), but have the functionality of a blind. For this reason, they are useful in kitchens where one does not want loose drapery fabric near either a water or a heat source. They can be tucked up out of the way, or lay flat against the glass when down.

And there we have three popular window covering options. As I said at the top of this post, the world of window coverings is wide and vast. Stay tuned for upcoming posts about draperies and the many ways they can be created.

Happy designing!